If Things were Different
by KEFWorldChamp
Summary: What would've happened if Laguna was able to get into Esthar to rescue Ellone and overthrow Adel faster than he had? Would he still be President of Esthar? Would Squall have met the others? Would he have met Rinoa?
1. Sending her Home

IF THINGS WERE DIFFERENT

A/N: Well, after the success of Children of Destiny, and the repetitive failure of A Normal Day, I've decided to try again. After all, I've been told "The only way to get it right is to get it wrong." So anyway, I'm steering away from the normal six (Squall and the others) and taking another look at Laguna. Let's just see what it would be like if things were different.

D/C: Deny ownership, don't own, can't sue, yadda yadda yadda.

CHAPTER 1: SENDING HER HOME

It'd been eight months since she was snatched from her home in Winhill, though she remembered the day as if it were yesterday. Hiding in the closet with Raine while her Uncle Laguna and his friends Mr. Kiros and Mr. Ward tried to keep the Esthar Soldiers from getting in. However, Laguna was unsuccessful and an Esthar Soldier pulled her right out of Raine's hands. Since then, Ellone had been at this horrible place; Esthar. The city was very pretty, she had to admit; it was just the people. Nobody ever played with her the way her Uncle Laguna had, That weird doctor who talked funny only wanted to do research on her, and that lady Adel was just plain mean! She hated all of them! All she could do was curl up on the floor with her favorite teddy bear and cry. She could her someone pounding on the glass in the room above her, but she didn't bother to look up. She refused to give them the satisfaction. Soon, she heard the door unlatch, uh-oh, they were coming to get her! She started to get scared and clutched her bear as if her life depended on it. Soon, the door opened, but still, she didn't look.

"Ellone!" Someone said. However, the voice was familiar! She resisted but couldn't help but look at the person. When she saw him, she stood up happy for the first time in months; as if she was never crying a few seconds ago!

"Uncle Laguna!" Ellone piped up! He came for her! Ellone ran over and gave him a great big hug. She then felt herself being lifted off the ground as Laguna scooped her up.

I told you I'd come save you!" Laguna said to her. "Sorry I'm a little late, but I ran into trouble. Maybe I'll tell you about it later." Ellone looked around over her Uncle's shoulder and also saw Mr. Kiros and Mr. Ward with him, as well as some people whom she'd never seen before. One of those guys ran up to Laguna.

"So, have you thought about it?" The man asked.

"Thought about what?" Laguna retorted.

"Helping us!" The man said.

"You have to forgive Laguna." Kiros said. "He's not the sharpest tool in the shed."

"Ok, that's enough Laguna jokes for one day!" Laguna said. Apparently, Kiros had been ripping on him all day. "Well, let me go talk to Odine." Laguna headed outside of Ellone's 'room' and up the stairs to Odine's office. Odine looked distraught about something.

"Adel vill be angry!" Odine cried, "My research vill be kaput!"

"Uncle Laguna, I don't wanna stay here!" Ellone told him. "I wanna go home!"

"Then you will." Laguna said as Ellone hugged him again.

"Zis can't be happening!" Odine said, "You can't let her go, Adel vill kill me!" As Odine approached, Ward cut him off. Odine started to shake, Ward easily had two feet and about one hundred pounds on the smaller doctor. Odine started to run circles in his office, and Ward gave chase. Ellone let out a few giggles at this sight. Soon, Laguna had put her back on the ground.

"Get 'em Elle." Laguna whispered to her. He then noticed Davis in the room with him.

"If she wants to go home without bringing harm to Dr. Odine, then there's only one logical thing to do." Davis said.

"She must be overthrown." Laguna said.

"Exactly." Davis said. "Also, as long as she has the Crystal Pillar inside Lunatic Pandora, she can create an artificial Lunar Cry whenever she wants. So we'll have to take care of that as well."

"Give me some time to think." Laguna said as he placed his index finger and thumb on his chin. After a few minutes, Laguna spoke up. "Can the Crystal Pillar be moved?"

"Yes, but the repairs on Lunatic Pandora must be completed to do so." Zeke said.

"Leave that to us." Laguna said. "I need someone who's good at electronics."

"I'm your man." Zeke said.

"I'd imagine that they've keep a close eye on Ellone." Laguna said. "Dr. Odine, is there any surveillance tapes?"

"Yes." Odine said quickly, having been stuck in the corner by Ward careful not to make any sudden movements.

"Get them." Laguna said. Odine grabbed a surveillance disc and popped it into a machine so Laguna could see it. On it was Ellone crying in that small space where he had found her.

"Zeke, can you turn those pictures of Ellone into a hologram?" Laguna asked.

"No Problem." Zeke said.

"All we need now is something that can not only confine Adel, but nullify her sorcery." Laguna said.

"That will be difficult." Zeke said. "But it can be done with Dr. Odine's help." At the sound of this, Laguna walked over to said Doctor.

"You're gonna help them build that machine or my friend here is going to throw you around like a baseball." Laguna said. "Got it?"

"OK, OK, I vill help!" Odine said.

"Good." Laguna said. "Now there's something I'm really going to need help on. Sending Ellone home."

"Sending?" Ellone said. "Uncle Laguna, you're not coming with me?"

"I can't right now." Laguna said crouching to her level. "I have to do something about the bad lady, Adel."

"But I want you to come home." Ellone said, her voice quivering.

"And I will." Laguna said. "I just have to get you out of here first and back to Raine. I'll come home really soon!" Laguna then hugged Ellone again. He hated to send her home by herself, but there was nothing else he could do.

"We can catch a ferry to go east across the International Date Line and have her home before nightfall in Winhill." Davis said.

"Someone has to go with her," Laguna said, "Even though the monsters in the city itself are gone, there are plenty of Blood Soul nests nearby."

"I'm a former Soldier." Zeke said, "I can go with her and be back in Esthar by morning."

"Then that's what we'll do." Laguna said. After you get back, I want that machine being constructed while the rest of us get to work on Lunatic Pandora.

* * *

"Come home soon, Uncle Laguna." Ellone said standing before the ship that was going to take her back to Winhill.

"You got it, cutie." Laguna said as he hugged Ellone for the hundredth time that day. "Tell Raine I'll be home soon."

"ALL ABOARD!" Someone said.

"You better get going." Laguna said. With that, it was a tearful goodbye as the ship was headed to take Ellone home.

"C'mon." Kiros said to Laguna. "We better get some sleep. The sooner we send this plan into action, the sooner you can go home too."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Laguna said, "We better find a hotel. But we're kicking this off at sunrise, so no sleeping in! The second that confinement machine is built, Adel's going down!"

"You're really serious about this, aren't you?" Kiros said.

"Serious as a heart attack." Laguna said. "She ruined my life when she took Ellone, now I'm going to ruin hers! This war is coming to an end, and Adel's gonna lose whether she likes it or not!

"Great, but in the meantime, LET'S GET SOME SLEEP!" Kiros shouted.

"OH, sorry." Laguna said. "I didn't realize I was going on and on again like I always-"

"You're doing it right now!" Kiros shouted. "Ward says Enough Already!"

"Sorry again." Laguna said. "I'm gonna shut up right now, I promise!"

"Davis, where is the closest hotel?" Kiros said.

"That would be on the edge of the city." Davis said.

"What about Adel?" Laguna asked.

"I've checked with Dr. Odine." Davis said. "Adel doesn't suspect a thing. She has no Idea that Ellone is on her way home or that we're planning to overthrow her."

"But it's only a matter of time before she finds out." Laguna said. "If it comes up, tell her Ellone was kidnapped. We have to keep her in the dark about our true intentions."

"It could prove difficult, but we shall try our best." Davis said.

"Thats all I need to know." Laguna said. "If this plan works, Adel will be thrown out of power within three days. C'mon, show us to that hotel."


	2. Sinking the Pillar

Well, my first two reviewers, glad to have ya on board.

**pinklove: **It'll get more interesting.

**JadeAlmasy: **Have you finished Children of Destiny yet? It's 50 chapters long!

It picks up a little more in this chapter. Here, I introduce Adel, Raine, and an unborn Squall.

CHAPTER 2: SINKING THE PILLAR

Raine Leonhart Loire was staring out the window just like she had done every day for the past eight months. That was how long it has been since her adopted daughter, Ellone, was kidnapped by Esthar Soldiers. That was how long it has been since her husband, Laguna Loire, had left home in an effort to try and rescue her. The only Idea she had of Laguna's well being is her subscription to Timber Maniacs Magazine. He was writing articles and sending them in for money. However, she had no idea about Ellone. What kind of monstrous things was Sorceress Adel doing to her? What hurt her even worse was that there was nothing she could do about it. She was stuck in bed, for Raine was about to enter her ninth month of pregnancy. She was pregnant with Laguna's child, a baby boy. She knew the gender of her unborn baby thanks to a doctor who made house calls. There was no hospital in Winhill, just one doctor. That was all they needed, Winhill had a population of only 48. It would have been an even 50 if Laguna and Ellone were still here. With no hospital, Raine would be giving birth to her son in this very bed. She had already decided on a name for this blessing; Squall Leonhart Loire. This was the last week of July, and Squall was expected to appear in mid to late August. The thought of going through childbirth without her husband had scared her. That's why she stared out the window every day, hoping he would come home.

However, all she could see was the sky. Being with child, her midsection had expanded quite a bit, making it difficult to walk without help and confining her to her bed. She was thankful for her childhood friend, Elise, who had come to take care of her in her time of need. The sun was preparing to go down, and Raine had grown sleepy, she gave it a few hours before she would be out for the night. As the sun prepared to set, she heard the front door downstairs open, and then close. She heard a conversation between three people, one was her friend, Elise, who seemed very exited, but she couldn't place the other two. One sounded young, possible one of Elise's three children. The other was a man who asked if this was the home of Raine Loire. She paid no attention until she heard small footsteps climbing the stairs. As she heard the steps stop, she looked over to see who was in her bedroom. The little girl she saw almost made her jump out of her skin!

"Oh hyne…" Raine whispered with her hand over her mouth. "Ellone?" The small child walked over to Raine, letting realization kick in, before giving Raine a big hug.

"Ellone, how- What are you-" Raine fumbled with her words. "How did you get here?"

"Uncle Laguna saved me!" Ellone squeaked. "He came all the way to Esthar and saved me!"

"Laguna?" Raine said, "You saw him?"

"Yep!" Ellone said again. It was then that Ellone saw the giant bulge on Raine's midsection. "Raine, what happened to your tummy?"

"There's a baby in there." Raine said. "You're going to be a big sister."

"Wow!" Ellone said. "Is it a girl or a boy?"

"It's a baby boy." Raine said.

"Aww, I wanted it to be a girl." Ellone said. "But I guess I can play with a boy."

"He's kicking." Raine said as she lifted her shirt up. "Do you want to feel?" Ellone nodded as Raine took her hand and put it on her stomach. After a few seconds, Ellone felt something bump against her palm.

"Someone's saying hello to you." Raine said as Ellone smiled.

"What's his name gonna be?" Ellone asked.

"His name will be Squall." Raine said as Ellone removed her hand. As the mother-to-be pulled her shirt back down, she had to change the subject. She had to know about Laguna.

"Ellone, where IS Laguna?" She asked. Her heart sank when she saw Ellone look down to the floor.

"He's still in Esthar." Ellone said. "He said he had to overthrow the bad lady Adel."

"…No." Raine whispered as she began to weep.

"Don't cry Raine." Ellone said hugging her again. "He's gonna come back, he has to. He promised he would."

* * *

"Where is the child?" The twelve-foot tall Sorceress demanded.

"Please, Adel, Milady, don't be upzet." Odine pleaded.

"You had one task." Adel hissed. "And you FAILED! Where is that child?"

"She vas Kidnapped!" Odine said, cowering in a corner in his laboratory.

"Who did it?" Adel bellowed. "Whose the wretched bastard who just signed his own death warrant!"

"Imposters, milady." Davis lied. "Several of them dressed as soldiers. Came in as if they owned the place and took her right from under our noses. Possibly Galbadians."

"You'd better not be lying to me." Adel hissed. "I will have both of your heads in jars on my desk if you are lying!"

"Milady please, calm yourself." Davis said, cowering. "With your permission, we shall send out our very best to scan the globe in search of the child." Adel grabbed Davis by his collar and lifted him up to her level. Adel's eyes were filled with anger; Davis' eyes were filled with fear.

"See that you do, I want her here immediately!" Adel said as she dropped Davis. Soon after, she left the room.

* * *

"There," Kiros said after one last twist of the wrench. "Repairs are complete."

"My job's done." Laguna said as he closed a hatch on the control panel. "How are you doing Ward?" Ward gave a thumbs-up to his friend before dusting his hands off.

"So now what do we do?" Kiros asked.

"First we'll take it for a test flight." Laguna said. "We have to make sure it'll go exactly where we want it to."

"Then what?" Kiros asked.

"We wait for the call from Zeke and Odine when Adel's Tomb is completed." Laguna said. "After that, we kick this plan into action." Soon, Laguna's phone was ringing.

"This may be it." Laguna said as he answered the phone. "Hello…Davis! What's up…uh-huh…oh really…I see…How'd she take it?…That bad, huh?…You'd better give Zeke a call and let him know…You did that?…How are they doing…OK, I'll let 'em know." Laguna then hung up the phone.

"Let me guess, bad news?" Kiros asked.

"Anything but good." Laguna said as the three of them stepped onto the elevator. "The bad news is that Adel knows Ellone is gone. The good news is that Adel's tomb should be completed within the hour."

"So we can kick this off soon, huh?" Kiros said.

"Possibly before it gets dark." Laguna said. "If not, then tomorrow morning. In the meantime, let's see if Lunatic Pandora can fly." Laguna walked over to two others working the control panel. "You guy's ready?"

"Yes sir." One of them replied.

"OK then, take it up." Laguna said. Soon, Lunatic Pandora rose into the air.

"Ten feet to the north." Laguna said. Lunatic Pandora then moved away from them by about 10 feet.

"Twenty feet to the east." Lunatic Pandora moved to the right approximately 20 feet.

"We got it." Laguna said. Soon, his phone Rang again.

"Hello?" Laguna said. "Zeke, great timing. Lunatic Pandora's ready to fly…How's Adel's tomb coming?…Great! What about the Ellone hologram?…Awesome! Call up Davis and Odine and have them meet us there. Lunatic Pandora's about to sink!" Laguna then hung up.

"OK boys. You know what to do." Laguna said.

"Where do you want it?"

"About thirty miles off the coast of Timber." Laguna said. "Do we have video?"

"Yes Sir." One of them said.

"Great, I wanna see this thing sink!" Laguna said. "Make it fly!" Within Seconds, Lunatic Pandora was moving to the west at a high speed. After about an hour, Lunatic Pandora stopped…then dropped! After about ten minutes, the three mile-high structure disappeared beneath the waves.

"Let's go." Laguna said. "Let's get to that facility. I wanna see Adel's tomb before we take her down."

"Think she knows about this?" Kiros asked.

"Lunatic Pandora is a mile wide in both directions and three miles high." Laguna said. "It'd be hard to miss."

* * *

"Now where the hell is that thing going?" Adel said as she looked out the window at the Esthar Presidential Palace. She saw Lunatic Pandora fly out over the ocean and into the distance, disappearing over the horizon.

"Someone is going to pay dearly for all of this." Adel growled. "Mark my words, whoever is behind all of this is going to die a horrible, horrible death!"


	3. Sealing The Sorceress

Sooner or later, I know I'm bound to get more reviewers. (I know you're out there!)

**JadeAlmasy: **Nah, I won't give up on this. Of course, I did give up on A Normal Day, but that was doomed to fail anyway.

**zornoid13: **I updated, and here it is!

OK people, here's more.

CHAPTER 3: SEALING THE SORCERESS

Laguna stared out the window of the car, contemplating his next move in these mind games with Sorceress Adel. Adel knew now that Ellone was gone, and Lunatic Pandora was sitting under the ocean. Whatever he did next, he had to think very carefully about it, as he was like the underdog in a boxing match going for the knockout. Getting Adel where he wanted her was the easy part; the hard part was getting her inside that tomb. Once she was close enough to the Tomb itself, it was going to be difficult to get her those last few inches inside. As his mind raced, he soon found himself at a building, most likely the place where Adel would see her last. He, Kiros, and Ward stepped out of the vehicle. Waiting for them were Dr. Odine, Davis, Zeke, and several others who had contributed to this plan.

"What is this place?" Laguna asked.

"It used to be the place where we launched space vessels." Davis said. "That is, until Adel took over and canceled the Esthar space program."

"I see." Laguna said. His eye then caught three identical space ships.

"What are those?" Laguna asked.

"Those are, or were, the Esthar Space Programs three flagships." Davis said. "The one in the center was our main space transport. We called it the Ragnarok. Beside it are its sister ships, The Dragon and the Serpent.

"Hmm, impressive." Laguna said. "Well, enough sight-seeing. Let's have a look at that tomb."

"Of course, it's inside." Davis said as he led the way. Adel's Tomb was immense. The center cavity would obviously be where Adel was to be held. The sides each dropped nearly twenty feet in an odd pattern. That's where most of the magic sealing gear was.

"Laguna." Zeke said. "Here's that hologram you wanted." Zeke held up a small chip and pushed a button. Out appeared a 3-D image of Ellone crying. "What did you want this for anyway?"

"It's the bait." Laguna said. "Adel will see this, be fooled by it, and approach it, allowing us to get her in there. By the way, I don't see a door or anything, so how DO we get her in there?"

"Let us demonstrate." Davis said. "Those rods at the foot of her tomb will take care of the Dirty Work." Laguna watched as Zeke placed a watermelon at the base of the center cavity, directly between the two rods.

"Say that watermelon is Adel." Davis said. "Once she is in that spot, we push this button." Davis said pointing to a button. As he pressed down, the rods activated, capturing the watermelon in an electric field. The field then rose up, and slammed into the tomb, resulting in a bright flash. Once the flash subsided, Laguna saw the Watermelon in the central cavity.

"So Adel has to stand on that spot." Laguna said.

"Laguna, I have a question." Davis said. "Once we have Adel in there, then what do we do?"

"Uhh…Wow." Laguna said. "Y'know, I really hadn't thought about that. Give me a few minutes, I'll come up with something." Laguna then placed his chin between his index finger and thumb.

"He must be thinking about what I said." Davis said to Kiros and Ward.

"Of course he is." Kiros said. "Ward says 'Don't you smell smoke?"

"Gimme a break here." Laguna whispered, "I'm trying my best." A few more minutes passed before Laguna slammed his fist into his palm. "I've got it!"

"So what's the plan?" Kiros asked.

"We cryogenically freeze her!" Laguna said. "Then we place her, tomb and all, right between the Earth and the Moon! We place her at the exact position where the Gravity from both the Earth and the Moon conflict with each other to hold her in place! It's genius I tell you, pure genius!"

"We did build a space base many years ago." Davis said. "We can use that to keep an eye on her for many years."

"Then that's what we'll do." Laguna said.

"Zo when do we kick zis off?" Odine asked. "Laguna looked down at his watch. It was 11:30 at night."

"It's too late now." Laguna said. "It'll have to wait until tomorrow. C'mon, let's hit the hay."

* * *

That night at the hotel, Kiros spotted Laguna staring out the window, thinking hard about something.

"You nervous about what's going on tomorrow?" Kiros asked.

"Kind of." Laguna said. "I'm really thinking more about how Raine's doing. I haven't seen her in 8 months. I've been doing all of this traveling just to save Ellone. Where's Raine? She's home. What's she doing? I don't know."

"Hey man, she'll be OK." Kiros said. "Raine's strong."

"Yeah, she is." Laguna said. "But I'm not going up in space to make sure Adel gets to where we need her to be."

"What? You're not coming?" Kiros asked.

"I can't. This whole thing has been eating me alive." Laguna admitted. "I'll watch as the shuttles take off, but the second they're in the air, I'm heading back to Winhill."

"So then what happens?" Kiros asked.

"Someone will have to let Esthar know Adel is gone." Laguna said. "But as for me and Raine, I don't know. All I know is that I have to get back to her. Very, very soon."

"C'mon man." Kiros said. "Let's gets some sleep."

* * *

The next morning, Laguna, Kiros, and Ward arrived at the station at nine o'clock. Davis, Zeke, and Dr. Odine were already waiting for them. Laguna then placed the Ellone hologram inside Adel's Tomb and then addressed his men.

"OK guys, this is the moment of truth!" Laguna said. "If we succeed, we'll go down in history as heroes. If we fail, Adel will no doubt turn us all into dust. If anyone wants to back out, now's the time."

"No way," Zeke said. "I'm with you, all or nothing!"

"Count me in." Davis said.

"Me too." Odine added.

"I think I speak for Ward too when I say we've always been behind you." Kiros said. "That's not going to change now." Ward nodded in agreement.

"OK guys, its time we end this." Laguna said. "Dr. Odine. I need you to go to the palace to get Adel. Tell her that you've tracked down the guys who sunk the Crystal Pillar and kidnapped Ellone and they're at this place. Davis, go a mile down the road and keep an eye out for Adel, gimme a call when you see her and say 'The Sparrow has landed.' Zeke, Kiros, Ward, and I don't move until Adel shows up."

"Got it." Davis said.

"C'mon, let's get zis over with." Odine said as he and Davis took off.

* * *

Dr. Odine took several big breaths outside of Adel's chambers at the presidential palace. After counting to three, he knocked on the door.

"What?" Adel bellowed before Odine stepped into the room.

"Milady," Odine began. "We've found ze thieves who moved ze Crystal Pillar and kidnapped Ellone."

"Excellent, Odine." Adel said as she stood up. "You're not entirely useless after all."

"But zere is a problem," Odine said, "Zey're not negotiating. Zey refuse to come out unless you personally show up."

"If they want me, they'll get me!" Adel said with a fire in her eyes. "Where are they?"

"At ze old Space Control Center." Odine said. "Zey have Ellone inside and are waiting for you. Some of my assistants are trying zere best to hold zem at bay."

"Take me there immediately!" Adel told him.

* * *

An hour had passed, and Laguna was getting anxious. Adel was probably on her way by now; there was no backing out at this point. Small conversation had been engaged between the four of them until Laguna's phone rang.

"Davis?" Laguna asked.

"The Sparrow has landed." Davis said. Adel was close now.

"Thanks." Laguna said as he hung up the phone. "OK everyone, places! Adel will be here shortly!" The four of them ran up to the driveway and got on their knees when Adel pulled up. Laguna mused in his mind about how many ugly sticks it took to get Adel to look like that. As Adel approached, the four of them began bowing.

"What's going on here?" Adel demanded. Laguna stood up and approached the sorceress.

"We've tracked down the thieves who moved the Crystal Pillar." Laguna said to her. "Ellone has been taken hostage, she's inside." At the mention of Ellone, Adel quickly walked into the building and up to the device where the Ellone hologram was. Laguna, Kiros, and Ward followed, but they hung back as Adel and Laguna approached the tomb. Adel got about three feet away from where they wanted her, before the Ellone hologram flickered.

"Oh crap, she knows." Laguna whispered. Adel got an angry look on her face before turning around to Laguna.

"What kind of moron do you take me for?" Adel yelled. "Did you really think I would fall for this trick?"

"Of course," Laguna said, realizing he was getting an adrenaline rush. "My plans…are always…PERFECT!" With that, Laguna gave Adel a mighty shove, forcing the sorceress to stumble back. Laguna looked at where she was now.

"KIROS, WARD, NOW!" Laguna yelled. The rods activated, capturing Adel in an electric field. The field then rose up, and slammed into the tomb. Laguna's plan had worked! Adel was stuck inside the tomb!

"Piece o' cake!" Laguna said dusting his hands off.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Adel yelled from inside her prison.

"My name is Laguna Loire!" Laguna declared. "I am Ellone's adopted father, and I just psyched you out! You corrupted my past, now I'm going to erase your future! Your reign of tyranny is over, our reign of peace has begun!"

"You will pay, Meteor!" Adel cried as she tried to cast a meteor spell, however, her anti-magic prison destroyed the spell before Adel could even cast it! The sorceress tried to cast other spells, but there was still no effect. As Adel got angrier and angrier, Laguna stood there with a cold look in his eyes. He then decided to piss Adel off to no end as he held up his hand, and raised his middle finger.

"Time to cool you down." Laguna said as he turned a knob on Adel's Tomb. Freezing cold fog then filled the center cavity where Adel was, beginning the cryo freeze.

"See you in hell." Laguna said to her.

"You'll be sorry!" Adel growled.

* * *

Raine sat upstairs in her home in Winhill as she watched Ellone play with her toys. Something she hadn't done in nearly eight months as the small TV in the corner showed Ellone's favorite afternoon Cartoons. Raine laid her head back and stared at the ceiling, she was glad to have Ellone home, but she still missed Laguna. As she wondered what he was up to, the TV had answered her question as Ellone let out a complain that a News bulletin had taken over the TV. She complained even more when the same thing was on every channel.

"Good afternoon, Winhill." The news anchor said. "We bring good news from the nation of Esthar today. We go now live to the Esthar Presidential Palace." Raine pretended not to hear the TV, until Ellone piped up.

"Raine! Uncle Laguna's on TV!" Ellone said. Raine carefully sat up to see that Ellone was right! Laguna was standing behind a podium, getting ready to speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen." Laguna said. "For those of you out there who do not know me, my name is Laguna Loire, and I am happy to report to the entire world that the Sorceress War is over. Earlier Today, Sorceress Adel was sealed and cryogenically frozen. I know this because I was the one that did it. Within the hour, Sorceress Adel will be shot into space so that Esthar may keep an eye on her in a place where she can no longer bring harm. Finally, peace can be established."

"That's your daddy, Squall." Raine whispered to her stomach.

"Esthar troops will be pulled out of action within two days." Laguna said. "After that, General Mason of the Esthar Army will issue Galbadia an unconditional surrender."

* * *

Laguna stepped down from the podium to come face to face with General Mason.

"You did well to seal the sorceress." Mason said. "I have approached you to nominate you as the new President of Esthar. The speech you just made definitely suits presidential qualities. So what do you say, Mr. Loire?" Laguna had to think hard about that one. It was a big job, but he would be able to provide Raine, Ellone, and any children they may have with everything they'd ever want or need. But Raine was so attached to Winhill; it would be tough to get her to leave!

"I'll consider it." Laguna said. "I'm not saying no, but I'm not saying yes either. I have to talk it over with someone-Maybe even sleep on it, but I will give you an answer soon."

"Please consider it." Mason said as he left. Laguna would do it later though; he had something to do at the moment as he grabbed his bag. As he stepped outside onto the streets of Esthar, he saw fireworks being launched and people dancing in the streets. They hated Adel just as much as the rest of the world-maybe more. Now she was gone, and people were celebrating. Several people approached him and shook his hand. Laguna was right; he will go down as a hero. The man who sealed Adel then got into a car and headed for what was now called the Sorceress Memorial. Once he got out of the car, he looked in on Adel herself. She was frozen, just like he had planned. Adel's arms were crossed over her midsection, her head was down, and her eyes were closed. The machine read that Adel was still very much alive though. Laguna then turned around and left the building to find his team waiting for him.

"Are those spaceships gassed up?" Laguna asked.

"You know it." Zeke said.

"Adel's tomb ready to launch?"

"You bet." Davis said.

"Do I have a ride home?" Laguna asked.

"It's ready." Zeke said. "The same boat that took Ellone home."

"Great, let's launch." Laguna said. After about 15 minutes, Laguna was left standing on the ground by himself as The Ragnarok, The Dragon, and The Serpent were about to go airborne. Adel's Tomb shot straight up as the three ships took off. Arms appeared from the ships sides and grabbed the tomb, carrying it up into space. Laguna watched as the ships got higher and higher before he headed for the docks. Once on board, he set his watch back nineteen hours, making it compatible with Winhill. If he was right, he would be home at sunrise.


	4. Laguna's Homecoming

I am SO sorry this one is so short. I've been juggling too many things these past few days.

**pinklove:** Yeah, Interesting

**JadeAlmasy: **Please do, more reviewers would rock!

**Lady-Rinoa: **Nah, this isn't a prologue. This just starts with Laguna in Esthar, but he's not there anymore! As for the new characters, Davis and Zeke are in Children of Destiny.

**zornoid13: **Here's the update.

**SquallRinFF: **Uhh, are you trying to tell me you like it?

**Cerulean Devil: **My own storyline will soon take over. After all, Laguna never got to see Raine one last time, like he does here.

CHAPTER 4: LAGUNA'S HOMECOMMING

Laguna had slept most of the way across the ocean, but that was only about four hours worth. Once he sensed it was getting brighter outside, his eyes opened. He was still on the boat, and Winhill was on the horizon. With his sleep-deprived eyes, Laguna skimmed the northern side of the small town until he spotted the pub; knowing there were two special people waiting for him. Of course, he had no idea about the unborn person in that house, but little did he realize, he would soon find out about Squall. As the sun peaked over the hills, the boat was beached, and Laguna had hopped off onto shore after tossing his bag over.

"Thanks for the lift guys." Laguna said to them.

"No problem." Said one of the crewmen. "When should we come back to get you?"

"I dunno, I'll give you guys a call." Laguna said. He was glad he made some money writing for Timber Maniacs, because Raine would probably flip his lid if he made an international phone call where she would have to pay for it. He did that once, and then never made that mistake again. "I have to call Kiros anyway and see what's going on with Adel's situation."

"I see." The crewman said. "Well, until then, so long Laguna. May we meet again someday." Laguna didn't know what it was, but it was like every person he met, he made an impression on.

"Maybe it's a gift." Laguna whispered to himself as he waved the boat off. He soon found himself walking toward the entrance to Winhill, which then turned to jogging, then running, and finally, a full-on sprint.

* * *

As the sun rose, a middle-aged man in Winhill stepped outside and began to sweep the steps in front of his shop. Soon, a growl came from about 5 feet away. A Blood Soul had spotted him, and was advancing. The shop owner lifted his broom up and smacked the monster on the head. However, all this did was anger the monster. As the Blood Soul was preparing to attack, something struck the monster and it exploded. Not so much as a loud boom, but more that of a long sizzle.

"What the heck was that?" The shopkeeper wondered.

"A Flare Stone." Someone said. "I picked it up in the Trabia Canyon." The shopkeeper looked over and saw that 'outsider' standing there.

"Oh, it's you." The shopkeeper said.

"Good morning, Mitchell." Laguna said without a facial expression. He knew the shop owner didn't like him, never had. But Laguna wasn't going to give him any anger for his satisfaction.

"So, you did come back." Mitchell said.

"I said I would, and here I am." Laguna told him.

"Why." Mitchell asked.

"To get on your nerves." Laguna said. "Just because I know you hate me. But either way, I'm married to Raine, and there's nothing you or anybody else can do about it." Laguna walked away as Mitchell gave a sneer. After a few minutes, Laguna was standing at the door to the pub. Quietly, he slid his key in and unlocked the door. The place was quiet, no doubt Raine and Ellone were still asleep, it was only six thirty in the morning, and nobody in this town, except for Mitchell, got up before seven. Laguna walked over to the door on his left, which was slightly ajar, and found Ellone in her bed sound asleep. He didn't want to wake her, or Raine for that matter. He figured he'd just let them sleep and surprise them whenever they got up when they came into the kitchen and found him sitting there. Next, Laguna quietly climbed the stairs and saw Raine. Her back was turned to him, so he didn't notice the bulge in her stomach. Laguna then headed back downstairs and put some coffee on to brew. After pouring a cup he stepped outside to grab the newspaper. He was none to shocked to see himself on the front page under the headline "Sorceress War ended with a push."

"Took more than a push," Laguna thought, "It took a hell of a plan." Laguna sat down outside while reading the paper and sipping at his coffee. As he read the weather section, a voice jolted him back into reality.

"Laguna, your back!" Said a female voice. He looked up and saw Raine's friend, Elise, standing before him. Elise was different from the other Winhill residents, Laguna didn't know what she thought of him, but at least she had enough decency to call him by his name. "When did you get back?"

"About half an hour ago, I guess." Laguna said.

"Have you seen Raine yet?" She asked.

"I didn't want to wake her up," Laguna said, "But I looked in on her. Even if she had her back to me, she still looks like an angel when she's sleeping."

"She had her back to you?" Elise said. "So, that's all you saw, was her back?"

"Yep." Laguna said.

"Oh hyne, you still don't know!" Elise said.

"Know what?" Laguna asked.

"Um, you might want to put your coffee down and remain seated." Elise said. Laguna did so before he spoke up.

"What are you getting at?" Laguna asked.

"If you would've gone around to her front side," Elise began, "You would've seen…well…her stomach is bigger then the last time you've seen it."

"What are you talking about?" Laguna said.

"Look, there's no easy way to say this." Elise said. She gave a deep breath before speaking again. "Laguna, Raine is carrying your child. She's almost nine months pregnant." Laguna's eyes shot up, and he felt dizzy.

"Oh man." Laguna whispered. "Wow, this is…just…wow. I'm glad I was sitting down. Raine and I talked about kids before I left, but, wow."

"That's why I'm here." Elise said. "This baby has confined her to her bed, I'm here every day helping her."

"Well, at least she had you." Laguna said. "But she should've had me. Man, I feel so guilty now."

"It's not your fault." Elise said. "You had to save Ellone."

"Yeah, but now there's a talk with Raine I have to have." Laguna said. "But now I can't give an answer to General Mason for a little longer."

"What are you talking about?" Elise asked.

"After that speech I gave yesterday, Mason asked me to be President of Esthar, and I promised him an answer in person." Laguna said. "I can't go back until this child is born now."

"That's the right thing to do." Elise said. "Stay here for as long as you can."

"Y'know what?" Laguna said. "You're the first person from Winhill that isn't Raine or Ellone who told me to stay." Their conversation was soon interrupted when the front door creaked open and a little girl stepped outside. Laguna watched as Ellone rubbed her eyes, then spotted him just sitting there.

"Uncle Laguna, yoo're back!" Ellone said as she ran over to him and gave him a hug.

"Quiet, kiddo." Laguna said. "I don't want to wake up Raine yet. I want to surprise her." Ellone did the motion where she was buttoning her lip.

"Well, Elise, you can go home now if you want." Laguna said. "I'll take care of her from here."

"See that you do, Laguna, Raine's my best friend." Elise said before walking off.

"Uncle Laguna, I'm hungry." Ellone said.

"Lucky for you, the Shumi's taught me how to cook some good food." Laguna said. "What would you like."

"Waffles!" Ellone said. "Uncle Laguna, what's a Shumi?"

"Shumi's live underground way up in the north, where it snows a lot." Laguna said as he started mixing the ingredients. "They taught me lots of stuff, and I taught some moombas how to talk."

"Really, I never see'd a talkin' moomba before!" Ellone said.

"That's saw cutie, not see'd." Laguna said as he put a plate in front of her. "You want me to cut that up for you?"

"No, I can do it." Ellone said. For as long as he'd known Ellone, she was always intent on doing things herself. Soon, Laguna heard someone calling from upstairs.

"Elise, can you bring me some coffee?" Raine called. Laguna gave a sigh, she didn't know that Elise wasn't there this morning, and might go nuts when she found out her husband was home.

"Tell her she's coming." Laguna whispered to Ellone.

"She's coming, Raine!" Ellone yelled up the stairs as Laguna filled up a coffee cup. Soon, He found himself walking up the stairs. Raine still had her eyes closed, but her arms were up, stretching. She reached out as she heard someone approaching her. Laguna guided the coffee cup into her hand before she took a sip.

"Thank you Elise." Raine said, eyes still closed.

"I'm not Elise." Laguna said. Raine slowly opened her eyes and saw Laguna standing there.

"Oh…Laguna!" Raine said as Laguna bent down, allowing Raine to wrap her arms around him. Laguna returned the gesture and hugged Raine back. It was in stone, Laguna was home.


	5. Shootin' The Breeze

Sorry about the wait on this one folks. My sister was down here from Oregon with her two kids. I had to be the uncle who was completely badass at Video Games and couldn't find any time to write.

**Cerulean Devil: **All of those questions will be answered in due time.

**zornoid13: **Yeah, it took a while, but it's finally here!

**Lady-Rinoa: **Thanks for the encouragement.

**JadeAlmasy: **Exactly what I was thinking, but that may just be my ego again.

CHAPTER 5: SHOOTIN' THE BREEZE

Laguna wandered behind the counter at the pub looking for the phone. He had to give Kiros a call to make sure Adel got to where he wanted her to be. After pulling out his wallet to find the phone number, Laguna dialed Kiros' number. After a few rings on the other end, there was an answer.

"Hello?" The other person said.

"Is this Kiros?" Laguna asked.

"No, it's Ward, genius." Kiros said. "What's up, Laguna."

"I was just callin' to make sure everything went down alright."

"Yeah, everything's fine." Kiros said. "Adel's exactly where we want her. Dr. Odine keeps on babbling about how he wants to study Adel and her powers."

"So let him." Laguna said. "Adel's in no position to object."

"I guess that's true." Kiros said. "So when can we expect to see you again?"

"Not for a while, probably." Laguna said. "I came home to a hell of a surprise."

"What surprise?" Kiros asked.

"Turns out Raine's pregnant." Laguna said. "She's been pregnant since before we left. I had no Idea."

"Wow, what a shocker!" Kiros said. "Congratulations dad."

"Don't call me that." Laguna said. "At least not yet. It makes me feel old."

"So when is this baby due?" Kiros asked.

"Any day now." Laguna said. "I'm kinda nervous, I just know Raine's gonna be screaming that she hates me for what I did to her."

"Well, that's to be expected. I've heard painful things about childbirth."

"Don't tell me what they are." Laguna said. "I'm kinda hungry and don't want to lose my appetite."

"Sorry. Well, I guess I'll let you go then." Kiros said.

"Alright, take care of everything." Laguna said.

"I always do."

"Not when it comes to planning." Laguna said. "I'll see ya in a couple of weeks."

"OK, see ya." With that, Laguna hung up the phone.

"Uncle Laguna, who were yoo talking to?" Ellone asked.

"Kiros." Laguna said. "He's the one keeping an eye on Adel while I'm here."

"What did yoo do to her?" Ellone asked.

"I froze her and had her shot into space." Laguna said. "I have to keep her somewhere where I can keep an eye on her without being mean to people."

"People like us?" Ellone said.

"Yep, people just like us." Laguna said as he flashed the small girl a smile.

"Laguna, I need some help here!" Raine called from upstairs.

"Be right there." Laguna called back. "C'mon Ellone, let's go help."

"Ok!" Ellone piped up as she bolted up the stairs, Laguna not too far behind. Ellone waited at the door to the bathroom as Laguna stepped inside. Soon, he came back out with one of Raine's arms over his shoulders. Ellone wasted no time in grabbing Raine's other arm.

"That's it Raine, small steps." Laguna told her.

"Baby steps even." Ellone added. After a few moments, Raine was back in her bed.

"Thank you, both of you." Raine said, smiling at Laguna, and ruffling Ellone's hair.

"Hey, only Uncle Laguna's allowed to do that!" Ellone protested.

"Why is that?" Raine asked.

"Because he was the first one to ever do it!" Ellone squeaked. "So only he gets to do it, that's the rule."

"Oh, OK then, I wont do it anymore." Raine said.

"Ellone, why don't you go and play." Laguna said. "I have some things I need to talk to Raine about."

"Ok!" Ellone said as she ran back down the stairs.

"So what things do you need to talk to me about?" Raine asked.

"Actually, I first wanted to ask about our…baby." Laguna said. It felt weird that he could call a child his. "Stuff like what the gender is, the name, that kind of stuff."

"Laguna, we're having a son." Raine said.

"All right!" Laguna said. "Someone who I can pass guy stuff down to."

"Guy stuff?" Raine asked.

"You know." Laguna said. "Fishing, dirty magazines, homemade fireworks."

"What were you taught as a child?" Raine asked.

"Hey, Deling City is a lot different from Winhill." Laguna said. "If you didn't learn it in school, odds are you were going to pick it up on the street sooner or later. But enough about that, I'm sure you decided on a name already by now."

"I have." Raine said. "I want to give him Leonhart as his middle name, since his last will be Loire."

"OK, I'm fine with that, but what about a first name?" Laguna asked.

"Only one thing came to mind." Raine said. "I was thinking of naming him Squall."

"Squall Leonhart Loire." Laguna whispered to himself. "I…like it."

"Really?" Raine asked.

"Yeah, It's unique. Not many people are named Squall." Laguna said.

"What did you think I would name him?" Raine asked.

"I honestly have no Idea." Laguna said. "But you always have good ideas."

"Oh come on, it was a spur of the moment type thing." Raine said.

"Don't be modest, you're the best decision maker I've ever known" Laguna said. "Remember, you CHOSE to help me when I was hurt, you didn't have to."

"And look what came of it." Raine said. "I married a klutz."

"Gee, I love you too." Laguna said. "So I need your help with a tough decision I'm having."

"OK, so what is it?" Raine asked.

"After I sealed Adel and made that worldwide speech, the leader of the Esthar Army, General Frederic Mason approached me and made me an offer." Laguna said.

"What offer." Raine said.

"There's no way to build this up, so I'm just going to say it." Laguna said. "Raine, I've been asked to be Esthar's new President."

"Wow…I'm in shock." Raine said; her eyes wide open.

"I haven't given him an answer yet, but I promised him one face-to-face." Laguna said. "So sooner or later, after I've made my decision, I have to go back to Esthar."

"So what have you decided?" Raine asked.

"That's just it, I haven't yet." Laguna said. "If I accepted this offer, I'd be able to provide all of us with everything we would ever need. But I won't take it unless you come to Esthar with me."

"Laguna, this is so sudden." Raine said. "I've lived in Winhill all my life, it would be so hard to just pack up and leave."

"I know, so I'm not even going to think about this anymore until Squall is born and you can walk without help again." Laguna said. "So that's what I need help with, is deciding whether or not to take the offer."

"Laguna, you're babbling again." Raine said.

"Right, sorry." Laguna said.

"Tell you what." Raine began, "Let's sleep on it, think it over, and we'll decide later."

"Sounds good to me." Laguna replied. "Well, I guess I'd better get dinner on."

"That's another thing Laguna." Raine said. "Where in the world did you learn how to cook?"

"Shumi Village." Laguna replied without missing a beat. "I'm sure Ellone would tell you all about it." Laguna then served dinner, put Ellone to bed, and soon went to bed himself.

* * *

A few days later, Laguna felt a sharp jab in his ribs while he was sleeping. 

"Ungh…I don't wanna go to school today!" Laguna mumbled in his semi-conscious frame of mind.

"Laguna, wake your ass up!" Raine called out to him. Laguna looked over that the clock and saw that it was 3:41 A.M.

"What is it Raine?" Laguna whined, "Was I snoring again?"

"Laguna, get the doctor!" Raine said. "My water just broke! The baby's coming!"


	6. The Birth of Squall

OK, I wanted to get this one up on Tuesday, since August 23 is Squall's official birthday, but I found out some hard news a few days ago. One of my best friends was shot and killed a few weeks ago, so obviously, it hasn't been a good week for me. He would have been 22 today.

**Cerulean Devil: **Tell me where it says that I can't answer my reviewers. I realize we all live in different places on the globe, but I live in America dammit! The first amendment guarantees me Freedom of Press! I can post whatever the hell I want!

**zornoid13: **Here ya go, hot off the pickle wagon!

**JadeAlmasy: **Yeah! More reviewers!

**kappei lover: **Yeah, Raine doesn't have to die!

**Kenny H: **Aside from A Normal Day, when have you ever known me to give up?

**pinklove: **Yep, the Baby's coming!

Now, try to find the hardest Laguna insult ever in this chapter.

CHAPTER 6: THE BIRTH OF SQUALL

"Oh man, what now, what do I do now?" Laguna panicked as he shot out of bed.

"First of all, calm down." Raine said. "I'm the one in labor, not you! After that, wake up Ellone and get her in here to help me out while you run down the street and get the doctor!"

"OK," Laguna breathed. "Calm. I can do calm." Laguna soon bolted down the stairs and into Ellone's room. Quickly, he walked over to the little girl and began to shake her out of her sleep.

"Elle." Laguna said. "Ellone, wake up kiddo."

"What's going on?" Ellone said tiredly.

"Raine's baby is coming." Laguna said. "I need you to be a big girl and go upstairs and help her while I go get the doctor. Can you do that for me?"

"Ok." Ellone said as she rolled out of her bed. As the little girl climbed the stairs to help Raine, Laguna burst out of the pub and ran down the street towards the Doctor's house. The father-to-be began pounding violently on the doctor's door. After a few seconds, he turned around, and began stomping on the same door.

"Doctor Sampson! Wake your old, geezerized, shriveled ass up!" Laguna yelled. Soon, the door opened, and a middle-aged man stepped outside.

"Mr. Loire, please keep it down." The doctor said. "At this rate, you'll wake up all of Winhill within minutes."

"Good! Wake them all up so they can see the miracle of life!" Laguna yelled again. "Raine has gone into labor, get to the pub NOW!"

"OK, calm down Mr. Loire." The doctor said. "You need to go back to the pub and be there for her until I arrive."

"Well don't take your time." Laguna said. "Throw some clothes on and get over there!" Laguna then sprinted back to the pub. Upstairs, Ellone was holding Raine's hand as Raine breathed slowly and deeply.

"That's it Raine, just breath." Laguna said as he took her hand from Ellone's

"Where's the doctor?" Raine asked.

"He'll be here soon." Laguna said. He sat with Raine for a good 20 minutes before there was a knock on the door.

"Ellone, get the door please." Laguna said. Ellone said nothing but ran downstairs and let Doctor Sampson in.

"How long ago did your water break, Raine?" The doctor asked.

"About half an hour ago." Raine answered.

"How far apart are the contractions?"

"About 10 minutes." Laguna answered.

"Well, let's have a look here." The doctor said as he positioned himself. The doctor soon became puzzled.

"This doesn't look right." The doctor said.

"What? Is something wrong?" Raine asked.

"This is your first child, and you're already dialated to eight centimeters." Sampson said. "You shouldn't be this far for another few hours."

"Is that bad?" Laguna asked.

"Not necessarily." The doctor said. "A speedy birth isn't harmful to the baby or the mother at all. It's just rare."

"So, Raine and the baby are ok?" Laguna asked again.

"Well, so far so good." The doctor said. "But it isn't time to push yet. Raine, just breath through the contractions until further notice." As Raine went into a contraction, Laguna looked over and saw Ellone still in the room.

"Elle, you really shouldn't be watching this." Laguna said. "Go back downstairs, please."

"But I wanna see the baby!" Ellone whined.

"And you will, but the doctor has to work, and so do Raine and I" Laguna said. "Please, just go back downstairs."

"Okay." Ellone sighed as she left the room.

"Oh my." The doctor said. "Raine, you're already at nine centimeters. This baby is coming very quickly."

"He must take after his father." Raine said.

"Why are you taking shots at me?" Laguna asked, he was appalled!

"I'm the one in pain here, I have to share it with someone!" Raine called as she went into another contraction.

"Here we go, Raine." The doctor said. "You're at ten centimeters! On the next contraction, I want you to push."

"Ok," Raine said.

"Don't worry Raine, I'm here with you." Laguna said.

"Oh shut up!" Raine said. "Remember, you're the one who did this to me!"

"Hey, it takes two to boogie." Laguna said.

"Tango, it takes two to Tango!" Raine corrected.

"Whatever! Let's just get through this." Laguna said. Soon, the contraction came, and Raine pushed with all her might.

"I see the head." Dr. Sampson said, "Keep pushing."

"Were we right? Is it a boy?" Laguna asked.

"I can't tell by the ears, Mr. Loire." The doctor said.

* * *

Ellone was sitting downstairs with a cup of juice she had poured herself, without making a mess. She was anxious for the baby to be born. Raine had been screaming in pain for a good hour now, this baby had to be close by now.

"Why is this taking so long?" She asked herself. Soon, she heard Raine stop screaming, and her screams were replaced by those of a crying baby. Soon, Laguna appeared from upstairs, and Ellone ran over to him.

"Uncle Laguna, are you a daddy now?" Ellone asked. Laguna took a seat, and let out a small smile.

"Yeah, I'm a daddy now." Laguna said. "Of course, I didn't have a lot of time to get ready for it."

"It's OK." Ellone said as she gave him a hug. "You're gonna be the best daddy in the world!"

"I hope so." Laguna said. Soon, The doctor appeared.

"How is it up there?" Laguna asked.

"Fine, just fine." Dr. Sampson replied. "Raine and your son are doing great."

"So, will Raine be up an walking again anytime soon?" Laguna asked.

"Well, she'll need to take it easy for a day or two." The doctor said. "But she should be back to her old self in no time."

"She'll never be her old self." Laguna said. "She's a mother now."

"Well, I guess that's true." The doctor added.

"Can we see the baby?" Ellone asked.

"Well, not for too long, they're both tired and need their rest." The Doctor said.

"So do we." Laguna added. "Thank you doctor."

"You're welcome." He said. "Be sure to take care of Raine until she's back up on her feet. Her strength will slowly return over the course of the next few days."

"Thanks again, Dr. Sampson." Laguna said. "Goodbye." With that, The Doctor left and Laguna and Ellone were headed upstairs. Raine's midsection had begun to shrink as she cradled a baby in her arms.

"Say hello you your son, Laguna." Raine said as she passed the baby to it's father. Laguna looked into the baby's eyes as he sucked his thumb.

"My son." Laguna whispered. Ellone had climbed onto the bed and held her pinky out, which the baby grabbed onto.

"Squall Leonhart Loire." Laguna said. "Welcome to your family."


	7. A Decision Made

OK Everybody, it's time for more.

**SquallRinFF: **Glad you think so. That last review did confuse me.

**pinklove: **No, look for where Raine said, "He must take after his father." It's an insult directed AT Laguna.

**Cerulean Devil: **I've been looking all over, but I still can't find where it says I can't respond to my reviewers. This is basically to let my reviewers know that their Reviews are appreciated.

**JadeAlmasy: **Whoa, Peptuck! I'd be honored if a big money player on the FF8 board like THAT gave me a good review.

**Lady-Rinoa: **No 14? 10-4 there, can do, over and out!

**GG7989: **Wow, you wouldn't believe how many time's I had to look at your name to get it right.

**duke: **No way, nobody dies in my fics unless I say so!

**Jasmine32: **Hells yeah to all 4 of your reviews!

CHAPTER 7: A DECISION MADE

A few weeks after Squall was born, Laguna and Raine woke up to a sound that they were going to have to get used to; a crying baby: THEIR crying baby. Both awakened as quickly as the other; Raine with a yawn, Laguna with a groan. Luckily, Raine was back on her feet because Squall's cradle was closer to her side of the bed. Squall seemed to quiet down considerably once he was in Raine's arms, still letting out a few sounds now and then.

"Aww, Squall just wanted his mommy." Raine whispered. By this time, Laguna had sat up.

"I know the feeling," Laguna mumbled as he started to grin. "I want Squall's mommy too."

"Oh, wipe that stupid grin off your face and be quiet." Raine said.

"Yeah sure." Laguna said as he put his dog tags around his neck. "I'm gonna go forage for food." As Raine did her motherly duty with Squall, Laguna wandered down into the kitchen to find some food.

"Ugh, need food, something breakfasty…" Laguna mumbled as his hands searched the confines of the refrigerator. His eyes rolled up when he didn't find what he was looking for.

"Just my luck, no eggs." He mumbled. He was soon interrupted from his thoughts as Ellone popped out of her room.

"Morning," She said as she rubbed her eyes. "What's for breakfast Uncle Laguna?"

"Since we're out of eggs, looks like cereal." Laguna said. "How ordinary, eh?" Ellone nodded her head in agreement. Soon, Raine came downstairs with Squall in her arms.

"What's the matter?" Raine asked.

"No eggs." Laguna and Ellone said together. Raine then sent Squall into the arms of his father, opened the fridge, and pointed to the inside of the door, where sure enough, 12 eggs sat. With his left arm supporting the weight of his son, Laguna formed his right hand into the form of a handgun, and made the motion of shooting himself in the face.

"How was I supposed to know to look in the door?" Laguna mumbled.

"I just wanted to see how frustrated you'd get." Raine said. "Sit down, I'll cook today."

"Yay." Ellone said. "I'm getting tired of Uncle Laguna's food."

"Hey, what's wrong with my food?" Laguna mused while sitting down, moving Squall to his lap.

"It's too different." Ellone said.

"Laguna, there is a such thing as spices." Raine said, cracking a few eggs into the frying pan.

"I know." Laguna said. "Too bad nobody told that to the Shumi's"

"Honestly, how did THEY learn to cook?" Raine asked.

"Honestly, I don't care." Laguna said as he used his index finger to tickle Squall's stomach, forcing the baby to smile. "What do you think boy?" Squall grabbed Laguna's finger with both hands, as if he was voicing his opinion. "So, Raine, what's on the agenda today?"

"I was going to take Squall to see his Grandmother." Raine said, referring to her mother.

"Oh boy, that's gonna be a blast." Laguna said sarcastically to his son.

"Relax, Laguna." Raine said, "You don't have to go. But honestly, you're married to me, she can't possibly hate you anymore."

"If I recall correctly," Laguna began, "The last words she spoke to me were 'I know you're married to my daughter, but I still hate you."

"Laguna, relax, I already said you didn't have to go." Raine said.

"Can I stay here with Uncle Laguna too?" Ellone asked.

"It's up to him." Raine said, sliding a plate of food under her face.

"It's fine with me." Laguna said.

* * *

Later that day, Raine and Squall had headed over to her mother's home while Laguna and Ellone stayed at the pub. Ellone was playing with her toys while Laguna was channel surfing on the television. Soon, a disgruntled moan came from the man who ended the Sorceress War.

"What's the matter, Uncle Laguna?" Ellone asked.

"I forgot how few channels there are in Winhill." Laguna replied as he turned the TV off. "I can't find anything to watch."

"Does that mean yoo're bored?" Ellone asked again.

"Yeah, but it's better than Raine's mom expressing her hatred for me." Laguna said, looking on the bright side. "She's been gone for a while now, I wonder what's going on."

Laguna soon got his answer as Raine burst through the door of the pub. As she sent Squall into the arms of his father, he could tell something had upset her. Raine hastily ran up the stairs as Laguna looked into his son's eyes.

"Not the best visit in the world, eh?" Laguna asked. Squall gave a squirm and a smile. "Yeah, well, I don't think you're mom thought so." Laguna then set Squall on the small sofa in the downstairs area.

"Ellone, why don't you keep Squall entertained while I go see what's bugging Raine?" Laguna said.

"O.K." Ellone said as she got on the couch next to her 'brother'. As she began to play with the baby, Laguna went upstairs and found his wife with her head buried in her pillows. He walked over and put his hand on the small of her back. Raine looked up to see who was with her, and that's when Laguna saw the tears in her eyes. Something had happened at her mother's home that really upset her.

"It's bad enough she takes shots at you," Raine began, "But why did she say a horrible thing like that?"

"Like what?" Laguna asked.

"It was awful." Raine said. "It was about how you were Squall's father."

"That couldn't have gone over well." Laguna said. "Well, at least Squall's too young to understand a lot of things."

"I still can't believe she said those things though." Raine sniffed.

"I take it she's not invited to Squall's first birthday party." Laguna mused.

"You know what?" Raine said, feeling less sad and more spiteful. "When Squall turns a year old, we won't be here anymore. I want to go so far away from her, she'll never find us!"

"What are you saying, Raine?" Laguna asked.

"Laguna, Take the job!" Raine said. "Be the Esthar President!"

"Are you feeling ok?" Laguna asked.

"I feel great!" Raine said, grabbing Laguna by the collar. "Take the offer, and I'll come to Esthar with you."

"You're so hot when you're minds made up!" Laguna said in the heat of the moment.

"Not right now, Casanova." Raine said, pushing Laguna away. "Give them a call and Arrange a ship to come for us."

"Yes ma'am, Commander ma'am!" Laguna said as he gave a military salute. He then went downstairs and dialed Kiros' Number.

"What's up, Laguna?" Kiros asked.

"How'd you know it was me?" Laguna asked.

"You called my cell-phone Laguna." Kiros said, "It has a built in caller I.D."

"That's irrelevant." Laguna said. "Send a Ship to Winhill. We're on our way to Esthar."


	8. Moving out, Moving on

HOLY JUMPIN JEEZ! It's been a while since I updated! I am soooooooooooooo sorry about this! Between starting a new job, a death in the family, and the writer's block from HELL, it doesn't make for a good combination when it comes to writing fan fiction. So think of this time off to write a Christmas present. Or Hanukah, or Kwanzaa, or whatever you believe in.

Oh, and by the way, nobody has tried to stop me yet, so SHOUTOUTS CONTINUE! And Gosh golly gee, there's a lot of them! Better get crackin'!

**zornoid13: **Sorry it took so long.

**JadeAlmasy:** I guess I made Raine's mom bitchier than intended.

**hibeki: **Didn't look at your story, just short on time. I'll take a look when I get a free moment. Glad you like this.

**JeriStone:** I likes me humor with a shot of whiskey.

**Cerulean Devil: **Hell, maybe Squall won't be so much of an introvert either.

**Lady-Rinoa: **Glad you like.

**Jasmine32: **Laguna and his eggs, classic.

**Arkv01: **You'll have to wait and see. I'll try not to change Squall TOO much.

**Hope Always:** Amazing how one small thing can change the future.

**Kenny H: **I told you near the end of "Children of Destiny." You can call me Matt.

**Verdanii: **Got a lot of them from you, thanks a lot!

**Raine69: **Odd name, but glad you like

If any of you still look at Children of Destiny from time to time, you'll see that it got its first flame! But hey, that's one flame compared to 307 reviews telling me they enjoyed it. I'm sure the 307 good reviews can tell that kid where to stick it!

CHAPTER 8: MOVING OUT, MOVING ON.

"There." Laguna said as he placed a box into the cargo hold of the mighty ship that would take his family to their new home in Esthar. "That's the last of it." Everything was packed. Ellone wanted to run around and look at the ship, and was allowed since Raine wanted to do so also. Needless to say, Squall was with them also, laving Laguna to do must of the dirty work.

"Sir, we're closing up the cargo hold now and preparing to leave." One of the ships crewmen said. With an "Alley-oop." Laguna jumped back to dry land, then climbed the ladder onto the deck. Once aboard, he spotted Raine staring out over Winhill. She seemed to have a sad look in her eyes.

"It's because you've never left this town, isn't it?" Laguna asked. Raine said nothing, but gave a nod. Soon, the boat was moving, and it was off to their new home: Esthar, The presidential palace to be exact. It was the biggest building in the world, even bigger than the SeeD gardens. On his way to save Ellone, Laguna met a couple by the names of Cid and Edea Kramer. They had a brilliant idea to create SeeDs to battle Sorceress Adel when the time was right, but Laguna shot those plans down by dealing with Adel himself. Laguna knew he would have to see the witch again, but at least she'd be confined. Plus, he'd be in space! How cool was that? With Raine busy with Squall, Laguna passed the time by teaching Ellone a new card game named Triple Triad. Ellone found the game fun, and was challenging crewmen to games. She was a natural! Laguna had given her a starter deck of seven cards, and within two hours, she had well over forty, which made her all the more bummed when Esthar appeared over the horizon.

"Wow, it's the biggest city I've ever seen." Raine mused.

"Yeah, it's got nearly a billion people!" Laguna added. "Our new home is in the dead center of the city."

"And you're going to be the president of all this?" Raine asked.

"That's the plan." Laguna said. As the ship docked, Laguna spotted Kiros and Ward waiting for him.

"Kiros, Ward, good to see you guys again!" Laguna said as he ran off the ship to greet his companions.

"Yeah, we've missed your idiocy." Kiros said, "Things just aren't funny without you."

"C'mon, Could an idiot seal Adel so easily?" Laguna asked.

"Ward, would you like to fill this one?" Kiros asked.

"We never said you were stupid, just an idiot." Laguna's jaw nearly hit the floor when Ward moved his mouth and words came out!

"Long story short, Dr. Odine repaired my vocal chords." Ward said. "Good as new."

"Mr. Kiros! Mr. Ward! Look what Uncle Laguna gave me!" Yelled Ellone as she ran up to show off her Triple Triad cards.

"You must be pretty good at that." Kiros said, seeing the size of Ellone's deck.

"Do people here play Triple Triad?" Ellone asked.

"Maybe, I don't know." Kiros said. Before long, Raine emerged from the ship, carrying Squall in her arms.

"What kept you?" Laguna asked.

"Didn't want Squall to make his first appearance to be a smelly one." Raine said. Laguna replied with an "Ah", understanding what that meant.

"Hey, who's this handsome little man?" Ward asked, giving a small tickle to the baby's stomach, getting a small smile and a squirm in return.

"Guys, meet my son." Laguna said. "Squall Leonhart Loire."

"Hey kid," Kiros said, "How ya doin?"

"I think he's a little tired," Raine said, "He had a big day."

"Good to see you again, Raine." Kiros said, giving the woman a hug.

"Well, I guess I'd better find General Mason and let him know I accept the presidency." Laguna said.

"He's at the palace." Ward said. "The Esthar military has pretty much been running things since you booted out Adel."

"That gets more gratifying every time I hear it." Laguna said. "_I_ booted out Adel."

"C'mon, let's get you guys to some beds," Kiros said. "You guys look bushed."

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to introduce you to Laguna Loire, President of Esthar!" General Mason said. The crowd let out a cheer, which made Laguna glad that Raine had Squall in another part of the palace, which was soundproof as not to upset his son.

"Thank you." Laguna said as he approached the podium. "First order of business, I would like to issue a truce to Galbadia. Even though Esthar is much more technologically advanced than Galbadia, I believe there is much we can offer each other." The crowd seemed to agree with his statement.

"Secondly, Sorceress Adel will be held under a watchful eye until the day she expires in space." Laguna said. "I realize a sorceress must relinquish her powers before being able to die, but Adel still has a good many years left. We will cross that bridge when we come to it." The crowd agreed once again.

"And finally, every Thursday will be waffle day!" Laguna declared. This caused quite a bit of confusion in the crowd.

"Just kiddin', folks." Laguna said. "Eat waffles whenever you want, Adel's not here to tell you not to." This caused the crowd to laugh.

"I promise you this. There is no issue I will not tackle, there is no crisis I will not solve, and there is no evil sorceress I will not shoot into space!" Laguna declared. "Things are gonna change in Esthar, because no longer are you required to respond to Adel's every beck and call. All that you are required to do is live your lives the way you are meant to. Follow your dreams, because they can lead to something big!" With his short speech over, he then turned on his heel and headed back into his new home.

* * *

Raine stirred from her sleep that night, something she hadn't expected. Granted she was in a new place, but…let's just say Laguna left her exhausted that night! As she looked over, she noticed her husband wasn't lying next to her. She got up and looked in on Squall. Her son was sleeping quietly, but Laguna was not in the room. Ellone had left her bedroom door open, yet Raine didn't see her husband there either. Soon, she had found her way to the presidential office. She heard some shuffling, and saw her husband with his back to her, fiddling with something while standing there in his robe.

"Laguna, it's Two o'clock in the morning." Raine said tiredly. "What are you doing in here?"

"Something I bet Adel never did." Laguna replied back. "Thank Hyne too, because she takes ugly to a new level." Laguna then moved to the side, and Raine was able to see what he was messing with: the stereo. Laguna then turned the volume low enough to where it wouldn't wake anybody up, yet still just loud enough to hear it at a comfortable level. As the song started up, Laguna dropped his robe, now standing in nothing but his underwear. He put on a pair of sunglasses, and began dancing like an idiot and singing along with the song playing over the stereo.

"Just take those old records off the shelf." Laguna sang. "I sit and listen to 'em by myself. Today's music ain't got the same soul. I like that old time-a rock and roll!"

"You're pitiful," Raine said as she hit the stop button on the stereo. "Can't that wait at least until after breakfast?"

"Sorry, just couldn't sleep tonight." Laguna said.

"I'm going back to bed." Raine said.

"To sleep?" Laguna asked with a mischievous grin.

"Yes. To sleep." Raine replied, shooting down Laguna's hopes for seconds.


	9. Cowboys and Indians

SWEET MERCIFUL CRAP! Where have I been you ask? Working, sleeping, and with a writers block. I just haven't seemed to be in the mood to do this for months. OKAY, Seven months if you want to get technical. Basically, my life has turned to crap over the past half year, and I'd really rather not talk about it. I'm going Squall on this one.

**Cerulean Crystal: **Don't worry about that loser, I'm paying him no mind.

**Angry Girl: **Please don't be angry at me, it was a writers block!

**Verdanii: **Thank you, I hope you keep reading.

**Luis:** I admit, I could have updated more, but for some reason, I wouldn't allow myself.

**JadeAlmasy: **I hope you like this one too.

**Lady-Rinoa14: **I hope you're right, being gone for 7 months REALLY has me worried about this one.

**hibeki: **Thank you. I hope you keep reading

**pinklove: **He's a little older in this one.

**Jasmine32: **I try to put some Laguna humor in each chapter.

**Boleyn: **Glad you think so.

**Amarant Rose Coral: **Thank you. I hope you stick with it.

**Icedragon012990:** I felt it appropriate, even though most schools do not.

**Hunter Hatake and Roxxi Uchiha: **I take it there's two of you. So I wrote some.

This chapter takes place four years after the last one, so try to keep an open mind.

CHAPTER 9: COWBOYS AND INDIANS

It had been four years since Laguna had become the president of Esthar, and he had to admit, he liked the job. It was a difficult job at times, but it really put a bulge in the Loire family bank account. His relationship with Raine had never been healthier, and the two children living in the presidential residence were doing great…well, sort of.

Now at nine-years-old, Ellone was now in school. She was doing excellent, and was pretty much the envy of her class. But with her gone all day, four-year-old Squall seemed to be bored out of his mind from the hours of 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Most likely it was because Ellone was the only playmate Squall had ever known. As Laguna shuffled through the mountain of paperwork on his desk, he soon felt his wife standing very close.

"Yes?" Laguna asked as he noticed Raine's presence.

"Laguna, have you noticed how…well…_lonely_ Squall has been lately?" Raine asked

"He's been like that since he was two." Laguna said. "I just figured he would grow out of it."

"It's been two years and he hasn't grown out of it." Raine said. "There must be something wrong with him."

"Well, you said lonely." Laguna said. "Maybe he needs someone to play with?"

"But we don't know anybody else with little boys Squall's age." Raine pointed out.

"That's true." Laguna said. "But wouldn't that be picking Squall's friends for him?"

"So what do you suggest?" Raine asked.

"Take him to the park every once in a while." Laguna said. "He's bound to meet some other kids to play with."

"Somebody call the press." Raine said sarcastically. "President Laguna had a good idea."

"Har har har." Laguna said as he rolled his eyes.

* * *

At the park, Raine noticed Squall still playing by himself. Other than watch him like a hawk, the most she did was push him on the swings. Mostly, he would just keep climbing over the jungle gym.

Until two other boys about Squalls age showed up.

The first of the two boys was pretty short. He had big blue eyes and bright blond hair. He was carrying with him a toy bow and arrow set, and had a headband with a feather in it. Obviously, he was about to play a game with the other boy who was with him. This boy's red hair stuck out a little bit from underneath a cowboy hat he was wearing, and Squall noticed a plastic toy gun in his hand. No doubt, a game of cowboys and indians was about to start. Squall watched from a distance as the two ran circles around each other. Raine seemed anxious.

"That's right Squall," she whispered to herself, "make some new friends.

This went on for about five minutes before the smaller boy tripped on the sand, and began to cry. His mother was up making her way over to him, but much to Raine's surprise, Squall got there first, and helped the smaller boy back to his feet, which almost immediately stopped the tears.

"Are you OK?" Squall asked.

"Yeah, I'll be Ok.?" The blond haired boy said.

"Hey new kid, you wanna play with us?" Said the taller boy.

"Umm…" Squall looked around for confirmation, and found his mother sitting on a bench with a smile on her face. Her plan was working! Well, ok, maybe it was Laguna's plan, but still, it was working. Noticing the huge grin on his mothers face, Squall sensed that it was ok, and he agreed.

"What's yoor name?" Asked the smaller boy.

"Squall." He admitted.

"Ok Squall, my name's Zell." The blonde indian said.

"And I'm Irvine." The taller cowboy said.

"So how do we play now?" Zell said, "The sides aren't even!"

"We could all play a new game." Squall suggested.

Raine was on a high only rivaled by the time Squall spoke his first word. It wasn't the traditional "Mommy" or "Daddy" that most children spoke. Squall's first word happened to be "Sis", directed at Ellone. But the fact was Raine was ecstatic.

"Looks like our boys are becoming friends." A young blond haired mother said.

"That was the plan." Raine said, "The only playmate my son has ever had was his sister."

"Yeah, being neighbors, all our boys ever had was each other to play with." The other woman said. "By the way, I'm Sandra Kinneas. Irvine is my little boy."

"Mary Dincht." The first mother said. "I'm Zell's mother."

"Hmm, the main idea was for my son to make friends. Maybe I have too." Raine said. "Raine Loire."

"You're kidding!" Sandra said "First lady Raine Loire?"

"Afraid so." Raine admitted.

"What a small world." Mary said. "You must have flipped your lid when you found out it was your husband that sealed Adel."

"Honestly, I still have a hard time believing that he did it." Raine said. "He never acted so smart around the house."

* * *

"That was fun." Squall said. He and his new friends played Hide and seek all day.

"Yoo should get yoor mom to bring you back tomorrow." Irvine said.

"Ok, see you guys tomorrow." Squall said.

"Bye." Zell threw in. The three split up and headed back to their mothers. Later that night, Raine was telling Laguna about the new friends Squall had made during dinner.

"Two of 'em eh?" Laguna said. "Vat's mah boy."

"Laguna, don't talk with your mouth full." Raine said.

"I'm the president of Esthar." Laguna said. "I'll talk with my mouth full if I want to." Raine then reached over and smacked Laguna on the back of his head.

"See that Squall?" Laguna said. "It's called an example. Don't talk with your mouth full, or that's what happens." Squall simply nodded to his father, getting the idea.

"I smacked you for back talking." Raine said with a smile.

"That too." Laguna added. "Don't back talk either. But whatever you do. Don't back talk with your mouth full." Raine rolled her eyes as Laguna laughed at his own stupid joke.


	10. Father's Past, Son's Future

I really feel like I'm making up for lost time here. First, I leave everybody hangin' for seven months, and now two updates in 24 hours! I guess it helps that I'm on vacation until Tuesday and I have nothing better to do.

**Hyvlo: **Is this soon enough for you?

**hibeki: **Funny as what? Irrelevant! Gotta love Laguna humor.

**Angry Girl: **Odd, you don't seem angry. Anyhoo, I think this chapter might answer your question.

**JadeAlmasy: **I wouldn't call four-years-old grown up, but he is older.

**shadow-goddess99: **Glad you like it.

**Luis: **A lot of this comes from first-hand experience. I just have to put myself in each characters shoes.

Well, Squall met Irvine and Zell in the last chapter, here he meets another familiar face.

CHAPTER 10: FATHER'S PAST, SON'S FUTURE

Though it took some doing, Squall was able to talk Raine into taking him back to the park the next day. She had gotten in touch with Irvine and Zell's mothers and agreed to set up some sort of play date, since the three seemed to have fun the day before. When Raine arrived with her son, Squall was glad to see that his two new friends were already there hanging upside-down on the jungle gym. Stuffing his shirt into his pants to keep it from falling to his chin, Squall joined the two. Before long, the young boy got a look of wonder on his face.

"What's that over there?" Squall said pointing to a bench about fifty yards away.

"It looks like a person." Zell said.

"Maybe we should go see?" Irvine said.

"Maybe we shouldn't?" Squall said. "My mom said not to talk to strangers, and then my dad set an example."

"What's an example?" Zell and Irvine said together.

"I'm not sure," Squall said, "but I think it means my dad doing something that ends up with my mom smacking him on the head."

"Why does she do that?" Irvine asked.

"I dunno." Squall said. "but I think they're playing around because my mom says my dad 'giggles like an idiot' every time afterward." With that, Squall ran over to his mom, and pointed over to the bench in question.

"Mom, what's that over there?" Squall asked.

"I don't know." Raine said. "You stay with you're friends, I'll go look." Squall ran back over to Zell and Irvine, and the three promptly positioned themselves on top of the jungle gym so they could see. To her surprise, Raine saw not one person sleeping on the bench, but two. One was a woman Raine guessed to be about her age, dark hair, normal height; obviously a young mother, because the other person there was a little girl. Raine wasn't standing there long before the little girl woke up.

"Hi." She said.

"Hi." Raine said back. "Is that your mom?"

"Uh-huh." Said the little girl.

"Why are you sleeping on a park bench?" Raine asked.

"Cause we just got here."

"Where do you live?" Raine said.

"I think mommy said Deling City."

"Wow, that's really far away." Raine said.

"Uh-huh." The little girl said. "That's why mommy's so sleepy." Very soon, the woman woke up, and saw Raine standing over her.

"Ma'am, are you ok?" Raine asked.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine." She said. It was then Raine caught a glimpse of the woman's face, and recognized her almost instantly.

"You're…!" Raine stammered. "You're…Julia Heartilly!"

"Please, not so loud!" Julia said hushing Raine. "I don't want a crowd."

"What are you doing in Esthar?" Raine asked.

"Hiding." Julia said. She soon realized her daughter was still right there, and didn't want her to hear this story.

"Rinoa," She said, "Why don't you go over there and play?" The little girl ran over to the Jungle Gym to play with Squall and his friends. When she was sure her daughter was out of earshot, Julia continued her story.

"My husband is a Galbadian Army general." Julia said. "Recently, a bullet flew through our window. The police never caught the assailant. He told me to take our daughter and find a place to hide. He gave us some money, and we made our way here."

"So there is an assassin after your family?" Raine asked. "You came to the right place. With Sorceress Adel gone, Esthar is the safest nation in the world."

"But soon after we got here, we were mugged!" Julia continued. " I'm glad that all he wanted was our money, as he took it and left as soon as he had it in hand."

"Don't worry," Raine said, "I know some very powerful people, that man will be caught."

"That's why you just saw us sleeping on this bench." Julia said. "With no money, we were unable to get a room or a meal."

"I'll help you." Raine said. "I have no proof with me, so you'll have to take my word for it. I'm the First Lady of Esthar. I'll be able to help you." As the conversation carried on, Raine's mind wandered to her song 'Eyes on me,' and Raine remembered what Laguna told her the day Kiros came to Winhill.

"You and your daughter should come with me." Raine said. "My husband will be happy to help you out."

"How can you be so sure?" Julia asked.

"He told me a story once, about how he used to listen to you play."

* * *

Laguna was sitting at his desk, discussing something with Dr. Odine.

"Please?" Odine asked.

"No." Laguna said.

"Juzt a bit?"

"No!" Laguna repeated.

"But she's got a strange current in her brain!" Odine begged.

"I don't care if she has gold between her toes!" Laguna said. "You're not experimenting on Ellone and that's final!"

"Ugh!" Odine said as he left the room. "Vat's ze use talking to you!" As the Doctor left, the first lady walked in.

"You don't want to experiment on Ellone to, do you?" Laguna asked sarcastically.

"Actually, I found someone sleeping on a park bench today." Raine said. "Actually, Squall spotted her, but I confronted them."

"Them?" Laguna asked.

"A woman and her daughter. About Squall's age." Raine said.

"There's a four-year-old mother out there?" Laguna asked just to be an idiot.

"The DAUGHTER is four you cartoon character!" Raine said. "Anyway, It broke my heart to see them like that. So, I had no choice but to bring them here."

"Raine, I know you hate your mother for that incident four years ago," Laguna began, "But I think you should have listened to her when she said not to bring home strays."

"Don't be smart!" Raine said as she smacked him on the back of the head. "She needs our help, and I know you would help her."

"How can you be so sure?" Laguna asked.

"Because you used to listen to her play." Raine said.

"Play?" Laguna asked as Raine opened the door to show her guest in.

"He's ready for you." Raine said. As she walked in, Both of their eyes shot up in surprise.

"Julia?"

"Laguna?"

* * *

"Wanna see something cool?" Squall asked the little girl, who's name he learned was Rinoa. He pointed up to a glass case.

"What is it?" Rinoa asked.

"My dad calls it a Gunblade." Squall said. "He said he used one of those in basic training, whatever that means."

"Is it a big sword?" Rinoa asked.

"Sort of," Squall said, "I still don't understand it, but I want to. Dad says he'll teach me when I get older."

"My dad has something like that, but it's a lot smaller." Rinoa said. "He calls it a Blaster Edge, but I'm not allowed to touch it."

"Yeah, I'm not allowed to touch this either." Squall said. "My mom says my dad's not even allowed to touch it, and it's his!" This caused the two youngsters to roll around on the floor laughing. Before long, Julia ran out of the room with a huge smile.

"Rinoa, sweetie," Julia exclaimed. "They're gonna help us!"

"Yay!" Rinoa squealed as she ran up to hug her mother. "Does that mean we're gonna have a house here?"

"Yes ma'am." Julia said.

"And lots of food to eat?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Can I have a bed with blue covers?" Rinoa asked. Squall learned earlier that blue was her favorite color.

"You can have anything you want now, sweetheart." Julia said.

"Can I have a swimming pool? And a trampoline? And a…"

"Don't go overboard little lady." She said, "Do you have something to say?"

"Thank you Mister President." Rinoa said as she hugged Laguna.

"You're welcome." Laguna replied. Soon, an escort took Julia and her daughter to a vacant house for them to stay close by.

"You're a good man, Laguna." Raine said.

"Curse my good nature." Laguna said as he picked up his son. "Come on big guy, time for dinner.".


	11. School Daze

Feels good to be back into the thick of things, but for now, let's get the reviews out of the way.

**Angry Girl: **That IS a reason to be angry. Anyway, I AM going somewhere with the Galbadian assassin, but you'll have to wait a while.

**JadeAlmasy: **Well, I guess a childhood friendship is the first step towards love.

**Hibeki: **I try to do that whole "in their shoes" thing whenever I can.

**Luis: **All I really have to think about is what they would say. Any "true" fan of the game should know what they all look like by now.

**RinoaKari16: **How could I not add Rinoa to this? I agree, Rinoa catches too much crap than she deserves. BTW, I won't be able to see if you reviewed Children of Destiny unless I check all 310 reviews, something I don't have time for.

**Jayliyah85: **I had a brainstorm recently and found myself writing a little more each day.

**Cerulean Crystal: **I'm not a machine! But I admit, I owe everyone quite a bit for being gone so long.

**Dragonlover: **Ask and you shall receive.

**Daydreamer4179: **New screen name eh? It'll take some time to get used to.

I just want to say that the timeline of the story will progress pretty rapidly from here on out. In the last two chapters, Squall was only 4, but he has aged here a bit more.

CHAPTER 11: SCHOOL DAZE

About a year and a half had past since Squall met his new friends Irvine, Zell, and Rinoa. All of their parents, with the exception of Rinoa's father, had noticed that any combination of two, three, or at times all four of them made them practically inseparable. Squall saw each of his friends as unique, Irvine was a cowboy at heart, and Zell was the spaceman of the group. Once, Squall had spent the night at Zell's house and the two of them stayed up almost all night watching Star Wars movies. Then there was Rinoa, the lone girl of the group. Spending most of her time with boys made her interests grow in each of their fields of expertise, be it Squall and his interest in his father's war weapons, Irvine and his desire to "wrangle" things, or Zell who just wanted to blast off.

Squall had recently turned six-years-old, and was awaiting his first day of school. Something he really wasn't looking forward to. Raine's efforts to get her son excited about this new ordeal had all failed miserably. Since Squall knew there would be no getting out of it, and his mom wasn't helping the situation, Squall decided to take it up with his father instead. Slowly pushing open the door to the presidential office, he saw his father sitting behind a desk. Normally, Laguna was working hard, but at the moment, he had the TV on.

"Won't mom get mad if she sees you watching TV?" Squall asked.

"Not really." Laguna replied. "I'm on what you call a coffee break."

"Dad, I don't wanna go to school." Squall admitted.

"Why not?" Laguna asked.

"Cause Sis always comes home with a whole bunch of homework." Squall said, "and mom's just making it worse by getting all 'squeaky-voiced.'"

"About that," Laguna began as he plopped his son in his lap, "you're mom's a girl, that's just what they do. Not like us men though. Our thing is stuff like climbin' trees, fishin' rough housin'. But the reason Ellone comes home with all that homework is because she's real smart."

"So that stuff makes her smarter?" Squall asked.

"Exactly!" Laguna said. "What you're about to learn, Ellone already knows."

"So if I go to school, I'll get smart like Sis?" Squall asked.

"You got it." Laguna said.

"Thanks, dad." Squall said.

"No problem." Laguna said. "Hey, why don't you get your mom to go down to the store and get some sodas for us?" With that, Laguna handed his son some gil.

"Thanks dad!" Squall said with more enthusiasm as he left to find his mom. Laguna looked into the mirror, winked, and smiled.

"Yep, father of the year." Laguna said smugly.

* * *

The next day, Raine drove down the road while Ellone explained a bunch of things to Squall in the backseat. As she pulled up, Squall saw Zell get out of the car in front of him, and Irvine already out on the play ground.

"OK guys, come back here after school's over." Raine said as Squall and Ellone got out of the car. Ellone headed over to her friends, as Squall headed to his.

"I'm glad you guys are here," Squall said, "this place makes me nervous."

"Yeah, me too." Zell said.

"Is Rinoa here yet?" Squall asked.

"I think so," Irvine said as he skimmed the playground. "Yeah! Over there by the swings." Squall looked over and saw Rinoa talking with two other girls. They walked over, and the introductions began.

"Hey guys." Rinoa said as the three of them walked up. "These are some new friends." One of the other two girls was blonde, but not as much as Zell. Also, she was tall as well. The only two taller than her were Squall and Irvine. The other girl was a short brunette, and had to look up at all of them.

"Hi, I'm Quistis." The taller blonde said.

"My name's Selphie." The shorter of them said. The new girls were introduced to the boys before Squall noticed something. Six swings, all next to each other with nobody in them.

"Let's see who can get the highest!" Squall shouted, and the race was on. Each of them tried to get an added advantage by putting their legs forward on the back swing and pushing on the ground with the tips of their feet just before going up on the other side. Squall noticed another boy doing the same next to him. This boy gave a cocky look to Squall before jumping out of the swing at the peak of the forward swing.

"Ha!" The boy said. "Can YOU do that?"

"Yeah, but I'm busy right now." Squall said.

"What's the matter?" The boy said. "You're not chicken, are ya?"

"Go away, Seifer!" Quistis said. "We're having a race."

"I'll take you guys on!" This boy named 'Seifer' declared.

"No way! We're not starting over!" Zell said.

"Why not?" Seifer retorted. "Afraid you'll lose?"

"Fine, start over." Squall said. "There's six of us and one of him. He'll be eating at least one of our dusts."

"We'll see about that." The competitive boy said as they all began. Seifer quickly got higher than Selphie, Rinoa, and Zell. It took some doing, but he eventually got past Quistis too. He and Squall were almost at the same place for quite a while, but soon, Seifer was ahead of him too, leaving only Irvine left. Squall then noticed something, the taller kids seemed to get higher faster, and then Squall sighed in disappointment. Seifer was taller than Irvine. After a good few minutes, Seifer was higher than Irvine too. Seifer then jumped out of the swing, just as he had before.

"Ha! I win!" Seifer said triumphantly. Five of them then used their feet to stop, but Squall jumped out just a Seifer did.

"Don't call me chicken." Squall said as he walked away.

* * *

Squall soon found that his class was rather small. However, Zell, Selphie, Quistis, Irvine, and Rinoa were all there with him, but so was Seifer and two other kids Seifer seemed to be partial to, two kids named Raijin and Fujin. After eating lunch, Squall noticed a poster he could not stop staring at. It was an advertisement for a place called Balamb Garden. The line near the bottom is what attracted Squall to it the most.

"Garden trains SeeDs. SeeDs are trained to defeat the Sorceress."

* * *

Later that evening, Squall peered into the Presidential Quarters again, and saw his father sitting there doing some last-minute stuff before wrapping it up for the day. Laguna noticed his son open the door, and motioned for him to come in.

"You were right, dad," Squall said, "I learned something new today."

"What's that?" Laguna asked.

"Some people are cool, and some are assholes."

"Squall! Don't use that word!" Laguna scolded.

"But mom calls you that all the time." Squall complained.

"She's just messing around." Laguna said. "Besides, she's old enough to use that word and you're not."

"I'm sorry." Squall said.

"That's okay." Laguna said, "Just don't say that word anymore. So from the sounds of things, there's a kid you don't like."

"Uh-huh." Squall said. "His name's Seifer. He called me a chicken and didn't think I could jump out of the swing."

"So what'd you do?" Laguna asked.

"I jumped out and told him not to call me a chicken." Squall said.

"Well, since you're a boy and we're not known to squeal, I guess what you did was okay by me." Laguna said. "Just don't try to solve things with your fist, okay? Even though it might seem easier, it won't be."

"Ok." Squall said. "Dinner's almost ready, are you coming?"

"In a little bit," Laguna said, "I have to sign a few more things." Squall then took his leave, with his thoughts returning to that poster he saw after eating lunch. He wanted to know more about Balamb Garden.


End file.
